In tracing development of post WWII U.S. tank development, narration went from M26 straight to M47 Patton I. Program completely skipped M46, which was a developmental improvement of M26, and replaced M26 in Korea in 1951,'52, or '53.
The M-46, a modernized M-26, was accepted into service in 1949 as an interim tank using components intended for the M-47. Both the M-26 and M-46 served throughout the Korean War. Following that conflict, the M26 was retired. The M-46 was declared obsolete in 1957 being replaced by the M-47 (itself an interim design) and the M-48.
